Did you receive a lovely gold necklace with a Pisces medallion from a loved one who knows your sign? Did it feel a little light? Do you think it might not really be made from gold? Here are a few ways to tell for sure if you’ve receive fake Zodiac jewelry.
Check the hallmark on the back. A hallmark is a three-digit number indicating how much gold is in the medallion. For instance, 585 means you have a 14-karat gold medallion in your hands. 916 indicates the presence of almost-pure 22 karats of gold.
Jewelry never has a 999 hallmark, the equivalent of 24-carat gold. Pure gold. Pure gold is soft, not appropriate for jewelry, Zodiac or otherwise.
And if there’s no hallmark? Your Pisces medallion likely has no real gold in it at all. You have fake jewelry hanging on your neck.
Use a magnet. Does it attract the medallion? Jewelry with high gold content will not magnetize. If the magnet attracts, you likely have a steel medallion with a thin layer of gold gilding.
Check for traces. Real gold leaves traces of gold. If you see gray or black traces, there’s no gold on the medallion.
Get a small bottle of iodine and a swab. Rub your medallion lightly with the iodine. If it stains, you have fake jewelry or an alloy. Real gold does not stain.
Pour some vinegar into a clear glass. Dip your medallion into it. If it stains quickly, it’s fake.
Try the same test with ammonia and a swab. Fake jewelry will darken. Gold will not.
Now, let’s say you purchased a pair of silver Leo earrings. What kinds of tests can you conduct to make sure they are actually made of silver instead of some cheaper material?
Like gold, real silver is marked by a hallmark. For instance, sterling silver is marked with a 925. This means it has 92.5 % silver mixed with copper for strength. Silver jewelry is never made from pure silver for the same reason gold jewelry isn’t. Silver is too soft.
Again, use the magnet test on your Leo earrings. Real silver does not magnetize. Fake jewelry does.
Try warmth and coolness. Hold one earring in your hand. Leave the other on the counter. Now, place the earring you were holding on the counter. Put ice cubes on both earrings. If they are made of real silver, the one you had been holding should melt the ice cube. The other one will be cool and won’t melt its ice. Real silver retains heat. Your ice will tell the tale.
Do your earrings ring? Tap them or drop them on a hard surface. Real silver will ring like a bell when sharply struck. Cheap substitutes will simply thud.
Try a drop of bleach. It will tarnish real silver quickly, so if you use this test, be ready to clean off the bleach even more quickly.
At a last resort, give it the acid test. A chemical reaction test will tell you what your earrings are really made of, but will likely damage them.
Finally, if you doubt the contents of your new platinum Gemini bracelet, check it out. Most platinum jewelry in the United States is 18-karat, or made out of 75% platinum, with some zinc or copper added for strength.
Look for an 850 hallmark followed by pt or plat for platinum. This means your bracelet is 85% pure. If it has no hallmark, it holds 50% or less platinum content.
Look at color. Platinum is brighter, whiter than silver.
Check for tarnish and scratches. Platinum is tough and should have neither.
Again, platinum does not magnetize. Use the magnet test to check it out.
Get a jewelry scratch stone. Scratch your bracelet on its surface. If it doesn’t scratch easily, it’s likely platinum. Platinum is hard.
If you’re unsure, buy a small amount of test acid. Use the dropper on the scratch mark on your scratch stone. If the scratch dissolves quickly, it isn’t platinum. Platinum will resist the acid, retaining its color during the test.
Now that you know what you’ve got, have fun showing off your new Zodiac jewelry to your friends.
